Wire grip



J. W. SCHOLZ July 26, 1966 WIRE GRIP Filed June 29, 1964 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. JULIAN W. SCHOLZ i i 'l OR NEY FIG. 4

United States Patent 3,262,171 WIRE GRIP Julian W. Scholz, 60001 SE. Laurel St., Portland, Oreg. Filed June 29, 1964, Ser. No. 373,722 1 Claim. (Cl. 24134) This invention relates to a device for handling wires or the like and more particularly is concerned with a wire grip adapted to be removably attached to a wire for stretching or otherwise handling the same.

An important objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved wire grip which is more easily handled and more efficient than conventional devices in the process of handling wires.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type described which includes a pair of jaws for gripping a wire and importantly incorporates safety latch means to maintain a wire in the jaws; and furthermore to provide an arrangement of such safety latch means which is easily manipulated with hot line tools.

Briefly stated, the present wire grip comprises a housing having a stationary jaw and a movable jaw between which a wire is adapted to be placed by lateral movement. The latter jaw is pivotally connected to a handle movable longitudinally of the body portion for opening and closing such jaw with relation to the stationary jaw. Pivotally mounted on the housing adjacent the upper portion thereof is a latch member which projects downwardly and has locking engagement with a latch projection mounted on the lower end of the housing. The latch hook in closed condition projects along one side of the housing comprising the side through which a wire is inserted laterally into the jaws, thereby maintaining the wire in the jaws. The latch also has an arm member terminating in an eye adapted to receive a tool for operating the latch. Furthermore, the latch includes a pair of spring pressed detent means adapted to hold the latch in a closed position.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects will become apparent from the following specification and claim, considered together with the accompanying drawings, wherein the numerals of reference indicate like parts. I

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a wire grip embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the wire grip taken from the left side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 and showing in particular the latch means;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now in particular to the drawings the present wire grip comprises a housing or frame having a body portion 12 and an arm 14 forming with the body a substantially U-shaped configuration. Forming an integral part of the body 12 at the upper portion thereof is a laterally projecting, first longitudinal jaw member 16. As best seen in FIGURE 2, jaw 16 is provided with a longitudinally grooved face 18 which may be V-shaped or arcuate. J aw 16 comprises a stationary jaw of the wire grlp.

A bell crank lever 20 is pivotally mounted on a short shaft or pin 22 and has a pair of angularly disposed, integral arms 24 and 26. Arm 24 has a bifurcated portion 28 which receives an apertured projection 30 forming a downward extension of a second jaw member 32. Projection 30 is pivotally connected to the lever 20 in the bi- 3,262,171 Patented July 26, 1966 furcated portion 28 of the latter by means of a pin 34, FIGURE 1.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, pivoted jaw member 32 has a grooved face 36. This face may be provided with spiral or transverse grooves or the like, not shown, in order to obtain a positive grip on a wire engaged in the aws.

The arm 26 of hell crank lever 20 has a pivotal connection at its lower or free end with a link or handle 40 by means of a laterally projecting, headed pin 42 secured to the said arm 26. A guide loop 44 is formed integrally on the end of arm 14 and slidably receives the handle 40 to provide a guide for the latter in opening and closing movements of the jaw 32 relative to the jaw 16. The outer end of handle 40 has an eye 46 which is adapted to be engaged by a tool or directly by the operator for the purpose of moving the handle longitudinally to open and close the jaw 32 with relation to the stationary jaw 16.

More particularly, by moving the handle 40 inwardly, which pivots the bell crank lever 20 in a clockwise direction, FIGURE 1, the movable jaw 32 is moved away from the stationary jaw 16, and by moving the handle 40 outwardly the jaw 32 is moved toward the other jaw. It is to be noted by the structure of the housing and jaws that the opening to the jaws is through one side of the housing. This arrangement facilitates the insertion of a wire between the jaws, which is accomplished first by moving the handle 40 inwardly and after the wire is inserted between the jaws the handle 40 is then moved outwardly. The wire is firmly gripped by a pulling force exerted on the handle 40 and in view of the elongated structure of the bell crank arm 26 with relation to the bell crank arm 24 a firm leverage grip is applied to the wire in the jaws. Handle 40 has a curvature which permits it to operate freely in the guide loop 44 even though it rocks on one end by reason of its connection to the one arm of a bell crank lever. The pivotal support of the jaw 32 on the lever 20 provides a uniform clamping engagement through the length of the wire in the jaws whereby the wire will not be bent or kinked when a pulling force is applied to the eye 46. 7

Associated with the wire grip is a safety latch 50 having an arm 51 terminating in a hook 52. Latch 50 also has a handle 54 projecting angularly from the arm 51 and terminating in an eye 56. The safety latch 50 is pivotally mounted on the housing 10 adjacent the upper portion of the latter and on the jaw opening side thereof. The housing has a lateral projection 58 to which is secured a pin 60 on which the latch is pivotally supported.

Latch hook 52 is adapted for latching engagement with the shaft 22 and for this purpose the latter has a pro jecting portion 62. A closed position of the latch is accomplished by rotating it counter-clockwise, FIGURE 1, for engagement of the hook 52 with the projection 62. In this closed condition of the latch, a wire disposed between the jaws 16, 32 cannot be displaced accidentally in a lateral movement.

The latch may be opened by clockwise rotation thereof, and in its open position the latch arm 51 is disposed substantially parallel to and above the jaws, such position being shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 1. Thus, to insert a wire in the tool the latch is opened to its phantom line position and the handle 40 is moved inwardly to open the jaws. After a wire has been inserted in the jaws, the latch 50 is closed whereupon an accidental lateral separation of the tool and the wire cannot occur.

It is desirable that the latch 50 be not freely rotatable between its open and latching positions, and for this purpose the projection 58 on the housing 10 has a pair of spring pressed detent balls 66, FIGURES 3, 4, and 5, incorporated in suitable bores 68 therein. The balls 66 are spring pressed into engagement with the inwardly disposed side surface of latch 50, and this engagement provides sufficient friction contact on the latch to hold it stationary in any position of rotation. The friction contact is light enough, however, to permit easy rotation of the latch.

The inner surface of the latch 50 has recessed portions 70 tapered in width, FIGURE 3, and variable in depth, FIGURE 5, and arranged such that engagement of the balls 66 with the deepest and widest portion of the recesses is accomplished when the latch is closed, namely when the hook 52 engages the projection 62. The tapered construction of the recesses causes the latch to be biased through the last few degrees of rotation into a latched position.

By means of the spring pressed balls 66 it is thus apparent that the latch will remain in open position without manual holding thereof and furthermore is more positively held in its latched position by engagement of the balls 66 with the recesses 70.

By means of the present invention a wire is adapted to be gripped for stretching or other manipulation. For engaging a wire in the grip the latch 50 is first opened and the wire inserted laterally into the jaws. The latch is then closed and a pulling force applied to the handle 40 which serves to close the jaws.

It is to be noted that in the open condition of the latch 50 that the arm 54 projects upwardly, as seen in phantom in FIGURE 1, which facilitates easy engagement thereof by a line tool. Thus, in handling the grip a pair of line tools may be used one of which is in engagement with the eye 56 on the arm 54 and the other of which is in engagement with the eye 46 on handle 40. When the grip is supported by a tool connected to the eye 56, the hook will, due to the hanging weight of the grip, remain in open position, and as soon as the grip is mounted on the wire the latch may be easily closed by the manipulation of the tool. Thereupon, the grip is safely mounted on the wire and cannot fall 01? and endanger workmen therebelow during connection of the operating means with the eye 46 for stretching or otherwise manipulating the wire.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A wire grip comprising a body portion, a pair of jaws on said body portion one of which is pivotally supported on said body portion for clamping wire in the jaws, said jaws having a side opening wherein wire to be gripped is arranged to be moved into the jaws by a lateral movement of the wire, a link pivotally connected at one of its ends to said pivotally supported jaw and extending longitudinally of said body portion, means on the other end of said link arranged for removable connection to an operating tool, a latch member comprising a pair of arms extending angularly relative to each other, said latch member being pivotally mounted on said body portion and being movable between two positions, one of said arms extending across said side opening to hold a wire in the jaws in one position of said latch member and in the other position of said latch member said one arm is disposed out of the plane of said side opening while the other arm extends upwardly, and means on the other end of said other arm arranged for removable connection to an operating tool.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 881,853 3/1908 Gardner. 1,963,693 6/ 1934 Cole. 2,133,893 10/1938 Harvey 294104 2,161,907 6/1939 Barr 292-103 X 2,280,192 4/ 1942 Hubbard. 2,423,352 7/ 1947 Thiele 292103 X 2,542,249 2/1951 Higgins 294-104 X FOREIGN PATENTS 658,225 10/ 1951 Great Britain.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner. 

